Road sweeping machines



Nov. 22, 1960 A. T. c. DEAR ETAI. 2,960,708

ROAD swEEPING MACHINES Filed Feb. 27, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 /m/ENvoe I? Meara@ M van aw A. T. C. DEAR E'l'AL ROAD SWEEPING MACHINES Nov. 22, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 27, 1958 INVENTO e ,m M www Vroem/5) Nov. z2, 1960 A. T. c. DEAR am 2,960,708

ROAD SWEEPING MACHINES Filed Feb. 27',v 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 /N l/EN TOR Nov. 22, 1960 A. T. c. DEAR ETAL 2,960,708

ROAD SWEEPING MACHINES Filed Feb. 27, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /Nl/ENTOR Mama@ @mw -www @MMM "if tionfwith' respect :to the machines.

:Sisrclesirable'to arrange that thegutterfor channel sweeping United States Patent ROAD SWEEPING MACHINES Alexander Thomas CameronfDear, West Bromwich, and

Kenneth Leslie Merther, Great ABarr,`Brming'ham`,` England, assignors to Lewin Road Sweepers Limited,"West `jBromwich, England, a" company of Great Britain chines having-road wheels and oneorl more road; sweeping V:brushes arranged to be-il rotated --abouty horizontal 'or'l suby'stantiallyihorizontal axes-in additionto afgutter'for` chanvnel `sweeping brush v which Lis arranged for rotationA about Ya vertical or'substantially vertical` axis.

`Such Iroad sweeping Lmachines or yvehicles having: gutter or channel sweeping `brushes vare l-known `in "which .the

.1 gutterisweeping brushes fare-so arrangedffasitobe carried `by=supportsiwhich1 are pivotally connected :to the.r machines faboutfver'tical or@substantiallyfvertical axesso.l as toallow v#the brushesftobefdisposed in an outwardly ispacedposi- In these .'.machines l:it

i1 brush is brought Ainto pressure engagement `with'rthe ikerb vrofftthe .gutter iy or the Iside i ofathe channel fwhichs iscbeing asweptiniorder toiproducefa moreteicient sweeping action. FTFurther,:fitisalsofdesirable to:arrangelthatzif'rthe brushf V:meets with .anyobstaclesuchf as, fora'example,;mightrbe :provided 'byza` heavycobject or `other .obstructionrzin the figutter, said brush is able to yield `in orderiato/javoiduor ireduce possiblei damage :theretowand latterwardstreturn v,to

.fitstformer vsweeping position.

.One ofthe objects of thepresent invention is ,to provide 1a road sweeping machine having Va new .or improved fmounting'forthe gutter or'channel sweeping brush.

A :further object'of the present invention iswtosprovide :aroad sweeping '.'machine in which -the vgutter sweeping :brush can be'adjusted-.toany oneof: a plurality Iof lateral :positions relative' to the machine vin accordance with prevailing conditions.

` In accordance withrthe present invention weprovide a road sweeping machine-having alguttervsweeping brush, a brush-carrying shaft arranged to be rotated about a ,substantially vertical axis and on which said gutter sweep- `ing brush is mounted, a support pivotally connected to the machine vabout a substantially vertical axis and carrying "said brush-carrying shaft and gutter sweeping brush, and resilient means connected between thefmachine andthe "support-for" urging saidsupport and brush outwardly away from the machine, said resilient means permitting inward movement off the support and' brush towards the -*machineonsaid -brush meetingan obstacle-"in-fits path.

The support may comprise a four-member parallel motion linkage and the arrangement may be such that the brush and associated support are situated forwardly of the vertical or substantially vertical axis about which the support is adapted to pivot.

Conveniently said resilient means may take the form of one or more coil springs which is or are so connected between the brush carrying support and the side of the machine as to have a tendency to urge said brush carrying support and its associated brush outwardly with respect to said machine.

In one arrangement we may, for example, provide one or more projecting arms which is or are connected to the support and which is or are adapted to pivot therewith about the vertical or substantially vertical axis, said ICC -iprojecting'farn't orf arms vbeing lpivot'ally Aco11ne' :tecl-fto a jsp'ring loadedimember which will have-'the eiect-rofiimw parting a'turning moment or have la tendency to-fimpa'rt a turning moment to the brush carrying supportf-sofas'to ltend tolurge said support andits associated gutter `orchannelsweeping brush outwardly away from the side1of-the machine.

We may arrange that the gutter fsweeping brush vcan `:be disposediin one or more positions (for example,three positions) withl respect tothe side of thetmachine, rintany of which positions said resilient'meansaref adaptedllto `resist inward movement of the brush `so thatithe Lbrush'fis arranged to have pressure engagementl with the kerb'rior r-side of the gutter. Thus, wherel the gutter f sweeping brush can be disposed in three positions, the position in "which it is disposed to its maximum extent foutwardlywith `respect-tov the vehicle would correspondv to .atcase whe're it is desired vto Y arrange vmaximum clearancelbetween the vehicle and the` gutter in order, for example, tolavoidzany possible interference with objects ysuch Vas lamp posts A-vvhichmight be caused by the upper parts ofithe machine coming f-into conta'ctlwith Asuch lamp postsfowing'itofthe caniber of vthe road. The centre iposition would'beithe onerused forfnormal conditions `of sweepinglan'd Vwould provide for a certain `amount of overlap between l'the sweeping effected by the gutter sweeping `brush `andby -themain horizontal brushes. The innermostof thethree positions (where no risk of obstructions suchasfis men- :ltioned above'occurs) would providel for "the 'maximum y.overlap between the sweeping effected by 'fthe rgutter 'sweeping brush and-the main brushes so'that this position y'would be used under the worst conditions. i l

'-We may alsoprovide oneor'more `stopfmernbers,:whi'ch may, for example, be resilient, being ormed'aasJarblock of rubber or like-material, -which resilient stopzmernber or 'members have the effectfof limiting the innermostffand :outermost positions of` the gutter sweeping brush with respect to'the side of the machine.

The invention will now be described withfreferenceito the accompanying drawings wherein: v

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a roadsweepingfmachine constructed in accordance with the-'presentv invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is apart sectionalsideielevation ofthe'lrnounting for the gutter or channel sweeping brush. this beingion Lal somewhat larger scale than is usedV in 'Figures lfand 2.

-Figure 4 is a -plan view ofthe mounting-shown finf'iFigure3.

Referring now -to the drawings, va roadi'sweepingf-ma chine 10 constructed in accordance -lwiththe presentinvvention isvprovided with a series of'hon'zontally arranged brushes' 11 adapted to sweep the surface of"aroa`.'d,2to gether with a gutter or channelsweepiing brus'h`1f2-"farfranged'torotate about a vertical orsubstantially vertical axis. VThe machine is provided with `the usual roadlwheels If13-and a refusecollecting body 14.

The gutter or channel sweeping brush is connectedfto `:one `side of the machine `by means of la Afour-member :parallel motiony linkage 115, suchllinkage comprising" a vertical member 16, a pair of spaced parallellongitudinal members 17 and 18 and a two-part fourth member connected between the outer ends of said two longitudinal members 17 and 18, said two-part fourth member comprising a housing 19 for the brush carrying shaft 20 (see Figure 3) together with a casting 21 formed with a pair of threaded apertures through which are passed bolts 22 and 23 (see Figure 4) for the purpose of adjusting the inclination of said housing 19 and associated brush 12 in accordance with the manner described in our co-pending application Serial No. 7l8,04l of even date, ysuch adjustment forming no part of the present invention. There is also provided a hydraulic ram 24 connected between a l., A i xed support and a part of the upper longitudinal member 17 for the purpose of lifting and lowering the linkage and associated brush 12.

,Thevertical member 16 is connected tothe side of the machine by a pair of spaced brackets 25 so that said verti- :fcal member 16 is rotatable about a vertical or substantialf ly vertical axis.

As will be seen from the drawings, the arrangement is such that the parallel motion linkage 15 extends in a forward direction from the vertical member 16 so that the brush 12 is in a leading position with respect to said vertical member 16. Further, said vertical member 16 is provided with a pair of projecting arms 26 extending in a generally rearward direction and provided at their outer g ends with a pair of aligned holes, through which'may be passed a removable pin 27.

Mounted on the side of the machine so as to project vthrough the bracket' 28 provided thereon is a member 29 provided at its outer end with three apertures 30, 31, and 32. The inner end of said member 29 is provided with a nut 33 so as to form an abutment and disposed between lsaid nut 33 and the bracket 28 is a coil spring 34.

As shown in Figure 4, the arrangement is such that the linkage supporting the brush 12 is connected to the f spring loaded member 29 through the intermediary of the pair of arms 26 and the removable pin 27. The spring 34 is a compression spring so that the member 29 tends to be withdrawn inwardly into the machine so as to cause the linkage 15 to rotate in a generally anticlockwise direction f as viewed in Figure 4, thus tending to move the brush 12 outwardly away from the side of the machine.

Thus the road sweeping machine may be driven along the road with the gutter sweeping brush 12 in contact with f the side of the gutter and pressure will be exerted on said yside if the brush 12 is urged inwardly towards the ma- "chine, such pressure being in fact provided by virtue of the coil spring 34.

If, as seen in Figure 4, the pin 27 is placed in the innermost hole 30 of the spring loaded member 29, the brush 12 will be so positioned that it will normally lie in its outermost position with respect to the side of the machine. This enables the machine itself to be spaced away from the gutter by the greatest possible distance so as to avoid any possibility of collision between an object such as, for example, a lamp-post positioned near the gutter and the body of the machine, particularly where the camber of 'the road causes the machine to lean inwardly towards the gutter.

With the pin 27 in the hole 31, the gutter sweeping -brush 12 will overlap to some extent the sweeping provided by the main brushes 11 so as to increase the efficiency of sweeping in bad conditions and this will be the normal sweeping position.

With the pin 27 in the hole 32, the brush 12 will be disposed at its innermost position and in this position it will overlap the sweeping effected by the main brushes 11 to the maximum extent and will thus provide for the worst conditions where there is no likelihood of interference by standing obstructions such as lamp posts. lIn any of these three positions the actualsweeping pressure exerted by the brush 12 will be controlled by hydraulic means as described in our co-pending application Serial No. 718,041

of even date.

It will be realised that owing to the resilient form of connection provided by reason of said coil spring 34, if the gutter sweeping brush 12 meets any obstruction in its path such as would be caused by a heavy or immovable object, then the arrangement is such that the brush will be able to yield and move inwardly towards the side of the machine in order to avoid damage being caused to said brush, the brush springing back into its original position once the obstruction has been passed.

What we claim is:

1. A road sweeping machine having a gutter sweeping brush, a brush-carrying shaft arranged to be rotated about a substantially vertical axis and on which said gutter sweeping brush is mounted, a support pivotally connected to the machine about a substantially vertical axis and carrying said brush-carrying shaft and gutter sweeping brush, a spring loaded member connected to the support and slidably carried by a bracket secured to the machine, said spring loaded member being outwardly displaceable with respect to the machine but being normally urged inwardly of the machine under the influence of its spring loading, said spring loaded member being connected to the support at one of a plurality of laterally spaced positions whereby the lateral position of the brush with respect to the machine may be varied.

2. A road sweeping machine having a gutter sweeping brush, a brush-carrying shaft arranged to be rotated about a substantially vertical axis and on which said gutter sweeping brush is mounted, a four-member parallel motion linkage embodying a vertical member pivotally connected to the machine about a substantially vertical axis, said linkage carrying said brushacarrying shaft and gutter sweeping brush, an arm fixed to said vertical member, projecting therefrom in the opposite direction to the said linkage and provided with an aperture adjacent its free and outer end, a member having a plurality of References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 668,649 Kuhn Feb. 26, 1901 698,949 Hight Apr. 29, 1902 1,452,307 Martin Apr. 17, 1923 2,558,623 Mott .lune 26, 1951 2,847,812 Elfes et al. Aug. 19, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 651,826 Great Britain Apr. l1, 1951 

